Silvanus
Silvanus, the Goddess of Nature, is a neutral good New God of nature and wilderness, and the patron of many druids in Astera. An ancient deity and familiar to the domain of Life, she is the steward of the wild places of Astera, representing the sanctity of nature and all of its flora and fauna. Her children, the dryads, and her mortal worshipers staunchly protect forestlands and other wild places from the despoiling touch of civilization, and are most prominently concentrated within the Calen'Quessir of Aratandor, and especially with the fallen Sylvanides. She is close with the Old God Mishakal, as wild nature is a primal representation of life itself. Silvanus is also associated with the Seldarine- in the time of Yeste'Calen, she held the name of Rillifane Rallathil as one of its members, though she has since been removed from their ranks by the Eru'Quessir. She holds a peculiar duality with Chauntea, the goddess of agriculture of the humans and halflings: however, the God of the Hunt, Malar, proves to be a thorn in her side time and again despite his position as an aspect of Silvanus. Description Unlike many deities who have anthropomorphic representations within their respective cultures, depictions of Silvanus have always resisted any form of mortal countenance. In most artistic representations, she is often depicted as an innocuous plant or animal, such as a fern, a butterfly, a small fish, or a clump of moss. This goes hand in hand with her animistic universality, in which she watches from all wild nature. In this way, she is very similar to the Old God Mishakal. Aspects Silvanus' portfolio encompasses all of nature, but a few other deities and beings are closely associated with her. Deities * Eldath: The Goddess of Waters, patron of all rivers, lakes and those who inhabit them. Sometimes called the first dryad, as she is said to be the daughter of Silvanus. * Malar: The God of the Hunt, and patron of lycanthropes. While he embodies a necessary aspect of the balance of nature, his bloodthirsty nature often puts him in conflict with Silvanus. * Zuggtmoy: The demon lord of Rot and Queen of Fungi. Once a noble aspect of Silvanus who embodied all fungi as well as the process of decomposition, dark forces have corrupted her and she has fallen to the Abyss. Wild Spirits As surely as Silvanus inhabits the wild nature in the world, so too do the flora and fauna of the world have spirits that can be communed with for wisdom and power. These lesser deities are all chaotic neutral and fall under the auspice of the Wild Mother, and each represents the essence of a particular group of animals. Being a neutral good deity, Silvanus watches over them and prevents them from causing too much mischief in the mortal world, but they are not under her control. Ascetic monks, totemic barbarians and other non-druids can learn to commune with these and many other wild spirits, and in so doing touch part of the essence of Silvanus- sometimes without even knowing it. * Ai'mithe: The Small One, and patron of rodents and small mammals. * Epona: The Swift, and patron of deer, horses, and other roaming beasts. * Rashak: The Great Bear, and patron of the ursine. * Morambath: The Nighstalker, and patron of felines. * Ysengrin: Wolf-Brother, and patron of wolves and other canines. * Euryope: The Many, and patron of insects and arachnids. Often associated with Lolth but is not evil. * Undyne: She of the Deep, and patron of marine animals. Often associated with, or mistaken for, Sekolah, the patron of the sahuagin. * Ndu'kumba: The Scaled One, and patron of reptiles. Often associated with Semuanya, the patron of the lizardfolk. * Zephyr: Aloft on the Breeze, and patron of flying animals. Realm Worshipers While some clerics may worship the Goddess of Nature, her portfolio lends itself most prominently to her worship by druids. Of all the races, elves, particularly wood elves, are most attuned to her worship: indeed, the forests of Aratandor were once known as Yeste'Calen, or "First Green", as society was centered around nature as opposed to arcane magic. In the distant past, even some tribes of orcs practiced druidism and offered worship to a deity of nature as well. This reverence is practiced almost exclusively by mortals: fey creatures (excluding dryads) found more kinship with Mishakal, who was not so tied to the material realm. In the Era of Scars, worshippers of Silvanus are few and far between, as the druids of Aratandor were systematically deprived of their holdings and cast out to the fringes of elven society in the aftermath of the plague of Miserion. Clergy Druids who are devoted to Silvanus are collectively known as Sylvanides, and their aligments range from chaotic good and neutral good to chaotic neutral. Clerics generally come to the worship of Silvanus independent from any organized clergy, perhaps as wandering nomads communing with the wilderness. The protection of nature is paramount to these individuals, and they may go to great lengths to stymie the tide of civilization and stop the despoiling of nature. Dryads are said to be the children of Silvanus, aspects of nature made manifest. Warlocks who pledge their service to a powerful dryad may find themselves entangled in the worship of Silvanus as well. Dogma Adherents to the ways of Silvanus find themselves centering wild nature in all their endeavors. Most moderate worshipers extol the virtues of balance between the scythe of civilization and the wildness of nature; more extreme druids may actively eschew the comforts of civilization and the study of the arcane, and may even actively oppose them, sabotaging lumbering efforts and killing those who would lay waste to the land. Silvanus is aware of the threats posed by the mortal races to her domain, and while needless bloodshed, and especially bloodthirst, are frowned upon by her, violence is not distasteful to her, as the hunt is just as much a part of nature as any other. One of the most famous prayers of the Sylvanides encapsulates the simplicity of the tenets of Silvanus: Silvanus saw and balanced all, meting out wild water and drought, fire, and ice, life and death. Hold your distance and take in the total situation, rather than latching on to the popular idea of what is best. All is in cycle, deftly and beautifully balanced. It is the duty of the devout to see this cycle and the sacred Balance as clearly as possible. Make others see the Balance and work against those that would disturb it. Watch, anticipate, and quietly manipulate. Resort to violence and open confrontation only when pressured by time or hostile action. Fight against the felling of forests, banish disease wherever you find it, defend the trees, and plant new flora wherever possible. Seek out, serve, and befriend the dryads and learn their names. Kill only when needful, destroy fire and its employers, and beware orcs and others who bring axes into the forest.Category:Nature domain deities Category:Neutral good deities Category:Elven deities Category:Druid domain deities Category:Wilderness domain deities